Welcome!
In the Office of Student Academic Excellence, we recognize that for many students the opportunity to earn a degree from The Ohio State University is the realization of a dream. For some, it is their own ambition, while for others it may be the hope of generations. The Transition and Academic Growth (TAG) staff guides and supports students as they work to realize those dreams.
In support of that work, TAG offers the SOARS program in collaboration with the College of Social Work (CSW). SOARS recognizes that students can’t press “Pause” on their lives while they attend the university. Students frequently need resources, both on and off campus, to enable their academic success. The SOARS program was inspired by research that demonstrates that students whose basic needs are met perform better in the classroom, and that those who learn how to access needed services experience greater satisfaction outside the classroom. Thus, SOARS aims to connect students who face academic challenges with peer-professionals for referrals, support and skills building. We hope that engaging with this program helps students navigate the sometimes twisting path to success, and ultimately to degree completion.
SOARS peer-professionals are Bachelor’s-level and Master’s-level Social Work students who are completing professional internships as preparation for licensure. In addition to the clinical curriculum that they learn within their Social Work degree, SOARS interns complete several weeks of training to be able to assess students’ needs, to engage in brief skills-building interventions (if needed), to find and connect students with resources, and to provide individual- and university-level advocacy for students when appropriate. They are supervised and directed by academic-advising and student-success/retention professionals within TAG in conjunction with licensed Social Work professionals within the CSW.
Anybody may refer students for SOARS support by contacting soars@osu.edu.
Thank you for your support of this program, and of our students.
Sincerely,
David Graham, PhD
Assistant Vice Provost for Student Academic Success
Office of Student Academic Excellence, Transition and Academic Growth
College of Social Work